While jockeys and horse owners compete for top purses at the Iroquois Steeplechase, the perennial favorite event of this 85-year-old tradition is the parade of foxhounds. More than 20 foxhounds, a breed specifically trained to run alongside horses and hunters, took to the turf course on Saturday to kick off race day as fans cheered and snapped photos and videos.
A Howling Good Time
The huntsman and his team, known as whippers-in, face the sometimes difficult task of keeping the hounds on course, especially when the dogs get distracted by tens of thousands of spectators in the infield and their delicious tailgating food. One hound loved the attention from fans so much that she veered off course, said Charles Montgomery, a master and huntsman with the Mells Foxhounds, the hunting group that runs their dogs in the steeplechase.
“She had the best time. She loved going into the beer tents,” Montgomery said. She enjoyed it so much that she ran to the beer tent again the next year, so now she is not invited back to the race, he added.
Tradition and Challenge
The Iroquois Steeplechase is one of the premier American steeplechase races, with a total of $730,000 awarded in purses. It takes place on a grass turf course with hurdles that opened in 1941 as a Work Progress Administration project. The Nashville race was founded by members of the Hillsboro Hounds, another fox hunting club in the area.
Steeplechase racing and fox hunting are wedded together, said Stephen Heard, a trustee of the Iroquois Steeplechase and a member of the Mells Foxhounds. The tradition originated in the British Isles, where horses were raced from church steeple to church steeple and trained to jump obstacles like fences while hunting with dogs.
“Many of the horses that we use fox hunting are ex-steeplechase horses,” Heard said.
Hounds Adjusting to the Crowd
With 25,000 spectators eating and drinking in tents and stands, the dogs need time to adjust to the noise and smells. “I took one dog last year and he heard the speakers and he said, ‘This is not for me,'” Charles Montgomery said. “It's high pressure,” added Boo Montgomery, one of the whippers-in.
When a child held out a fried chicken leg through the rails one time, it was a temptation no hound could resist. “You couldn't fault Brightly for stopping and having a snack,” she said, referring to one of the foxhounds.
Preparation and Technology
Charles Montgomery said he usually brings veteran hunting hounds who can guide younger dogs along the course. On the morning of the race, the dogs bounded off their trailer, eager to sniff grass, chew on sticks, and roll in the clover. The hounds wear GPS-equipped collars whenever they hunt and when they come to the racetrack. That came in handy last year when a dog got spooked and took off into the wooded park nearby.
While the racetrack is not their normal working environment, the hounds seem to enjoy the challenge that comes with kicking off the horse races, said Boo Montgomery. “It's a great exposure for hunting to get to see these hounds and the horses,” she said. “It's nice to be able to show off.”
